Denunciation of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Occupied Palestine

The Palestinian Association in Britain and Palestinian Return Centre utterly denounce Israel's current genocidal campaign in Occupied Palestine. The Israelis use of live ammunition and targeting to the heads and upper bodies of civilians' leaves no doubt that their prime intent is to kill.

These inhuman acts are considered crimes under international law. We, therefore, urge you to write to your MPs demanding: [1] that the British government condemns these crimes and [2] take all necessary measures to bring those members of the Israeli political and military leadership responsible before an international tribunal of war crimes.

These latest atrocities by the Israelis are not the first in their long campaign to destroy the Palestinian national identity, break its will, and acquire by force the city of Jerusalem. The 1930 International Commission of Inquiry that investigated the 1929 Aqsa disturbances confirmed the Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic ownership of Jerusalem. [1] That the Western Wall of the Haram Al Sharif, of which the so-called Wailing Wall is a small part, belongs to the Muslims, [2] that the pavement, known as the Wailing Place also belongs to the Muslims [3] and that the Jews be given access to the site for devotion with no rights of ownership. This decision was incorporated into British law by the Palestine Order in Council and signed in Buckingham Palace on 19 May 1931.

Since its annexation of west Jerusalem in 1948-49 and the eastern part in 1967, Israel has sought to Judaize the city with a series of discriminatory laws directed against the indigenous Palestinian people. Here again we point out that the destruction or prohibition of use of national monuments, schools and places of worship also fall within the legal definition of genocide. Having repeated on countless occasions the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war, the international community has demanded an end to the crimes committed by the Israeli Occupiers in Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine.

In the light of the above and the rapidly deteriorating situation in Palestine, we implore that you act immediately by calling upon your MP.

The Palestinian Return Centre is an independent consultancy focusing on the historical, political and legal aspects of the Palestinian Refugees. The organization offers expert advice to various actors and agencies on the question of Palestinian Refugees within the context of the Nakba - The catastrophe following the forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948 - and serves as an information repository on other related aspects of the Palestine question and the Arab-Israeli conflict. It specializes in the research, analysis, and monitoring of issues pertaining to the dispersed Palestinians and their internationally recognized legal right to return.